Health and quality of life in Brussels

3 out of ever 4 citizens of Brussels believe themselves to be in good health. This reassuring statistic hides important inequalities that faithfully reflect the great social disparities that are Brussels' landmark. By the age of 25, those with a university degree can indeed expect to enjoy a good health an extra 20 years compared to other citizens of Brussels who only have a primary school diploma.

Health mirrors people's lifetrack. Health and quality of life of young children is a major issue in an area with the highest natality rate of the country. Yet those young children are mostly to be found in the poorest neighbourhoods, where environmental hazards are most important, green spaces rarest, housing least salubrious and most populated.

The sociodemographic situation makes prevention a particularly relevant challenge across the Brussels region. Indeed, the over-65's are currently most favoured both socially and health-wise, but the population that is entering this age group is poorer and in worse health; a phenomenon that is bound to increase due to the important precarity of a large share of the under-60's among Brussels' population, amongst others, the one that stems from immigration.